Securing device for panels or the like



June 21, 1932. I E. H. GlBlAN ,1 0

SECURING DEVICE FOR PANELS OR THE LIKE Filed March 15, 1930 k\ NR amed June 21, 1932 UNITED STATES, PATENT; OFFICE ERIC HT. GIBIAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR 1'0 THE VI'IBOLI'IE COIPANY, A

CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA SECURING DEVICE FOR PANELS OR THE LIKE Application filed March 15, 1930. Serial No. 436,047.

- comprising two members that are engaged with and disengaged from each other a lengthwise relative sliding movement; 1e

wed in oneof its aspects, the'present invention may be said to have for its object to produce a fastening device of this same general type so constructed that the two parts or sections may be assembled by simply laying one against the other and pressing them togather.

I A further object of the present invention is to produce a fastening or securing device ap- .plicab1e,.with only a slight modification, to

flat walls, inside corners, or outside corners. The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterized will hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claim; but, for a full understanding of my inventon and of its objects and advantages, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a horizontal section through a wall having both an outside and an inside corner, illustrating my improved devices located at the corners as well as on the flat or plane portion of the wall; Fig. 2 is an elevation of a fragment of the wall, showing one of the improved fastening devices; and Fig. 3 is a cross section through one of the fastening devices, whose two sections are shown separated from each other.

Referring to the drawing, 1 represents a wall against which or adjacent to which are placed facing slabs, panels, or the like, 2. The near edges of adjacent panels are spaced two adjacent panels is a trough-shaped securing element 3 having laterally pro ectin flanges 4 extending from the free edges 0% the sides of the trough, which overlap the two panels or the like between which the trough element lies. The trough element is secured to the wall in any suitable way as, for example, by means of screws 5 extending through the bottom of the trough into the wall. The parts are preferably s0 proportioned that the bottom of the trough stands away from the wall, thereby permitting the trough to be drawn in far enough to force the flanges 4 tightly against the panels which the holding device is intended to secure.

Cooperating with the trough-shaped element is a second element 6, preferably in the form ofalong' strip that is fitted into the trough to conceal the fastenings that hold the latter to the wall, and to serve as a spreader between the sides of the trough.

The elements 3 and 6 are provided with shoulders that interlock to prevent separation of the two elements from each other through relative movements in a lateral direction. Either or both of the elements, or portions 'of either or both, must be resilient so as to permit the two elements to be assembled and the shoulders to interlock with each other, by

simply laying the element 6 in the" trough of the other element and pressing it down into the trough. In the arrangement shown, both of the elements 3 and 6 are made of sheet metal which is of'a character to afford the necessary resiliency to permit the element 6 to be sprung into place. i

The interlocking shoulders or parts may be formed in a variety of ways. In the arrangement shown, theelement 3 is in the form of a trough having a narrow flat bottom and sldes that diverge from each other from the bottom toward the mouth. The sides are pressed inwardly along lines extending throughout the length of the. trmmh 1mm trough, to produce longitudinal interior ribs 7. When the members 3 and 6 are assembled,

either the trough spreads sufliciently, orthe element 6 becomes momentarily narrow, so as to permit the long edges of the element 6 to pass the ribs or projections and then-drop behind the latter when the pressure is released. The element 6 may conveniently be bent with respect to a longitudinal axis and have its long'marginal portions bent inwardly, as indicated at 8 over the valley in the strip. These flanges lie flat against the sides of the trough when the element 6 is laid into the trough; and, when pressure is applied to force the element 6 farther into the trough, there is a tendency further to bend the element 6 andat the same time to spread the trough.

It will thus be seen that the two parts of the fastening device may be assembled and taken apart without sliding one throughout the entire length of the other. Furthermore, by properly proportioningthe parts of the fastening device, the exposed face of the latter may be given any desired attractive form. For example, each flan e 4. with the exposed part of the adjacent side of the trough may have the same shape as the exposed part ofv the element 6; whereby the fastening device presents the appearance of a single strip uniformly ridged or fluted throughout its length.

' When the'device is used to fasten a pair of.

panels adjacent to an outside corner, as shown at the left hand in Fig. 1, it will be seen that no change need be made except that perhaps the flanges 4 need be bent at a slightly sharper angle to the adjacent sides of the trough than is the case where the device is used on a plane portion of the wall. When the device is employed at an inside corner, as shown to the right hand in Fig. 1, the flanges 4 maybe entirely omitted from the trough. It will thus be seen that the same device will serve as a fastenin between adjacent panels under various di erent conditions and without making any change except in some instances to omit flange-like parts on one of the sections of the device.

While I have illustrated and described with particularly only a single preferred form of my invention, I do not desire to be limited to the exact structural details thus illustrated and described; but intend to cover all forms and arrangements which come within the definitions of my invention constituting the appended claim.

I claim A securing device comprising an element in the form of a sheet metal trough, wider at the top than at the bottom, the sides of 1 the trough being deformed to produce in-- ternal longitudinal ribs near'the top of the" trough, said element having lateral flanges projecting from the trough at the sides of the latter, and a second sheet metal element in the form of a strip wider than the distance between said ribs, said second element being tion.

ERIC H. GIBIAN. 

